


Deadeye

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: McHanzo [31]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Missions Gone Wrong, Prompt: Shaky hands, Serious Injuries, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 22:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21044150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Ana had been the one to warn him of the risks of overextending this ability, and he had felt the side-effects more as he grew older, but he didn’t have much choice, especially as there was a muffled boom in the distance, and he caught the distinctive sound of Lena flashing into existence behind them. One red skull. Two. Three…. More and more filled his vision, until that was all he could see, and his eyes felt as though they were on fire, and he tightened his grip, holding on for just a little longer, trying to take out as many as he could.Then he fired.





	Deadeye

McCree’s hands were trembling again if they’d even stopped since that moment. He wasn’t sure. He could barely remember getting out of there, and the flight back was a blank space in his mind, while the minutes and hours since they’d made it back to the base were little more than a blur. He knew that the others had been there for some of it, refusing to leave him on his own even when he had snapped and snarled at them, lashing out in anger, because it was easier than facing the guilt and fear gripping him. But he might as well have been speaking to a brick wall because his words seemed to have bounced off them, although he could remember someone…maybe Angela, although she wouldn’t have left his partner’s side, telling him to mind his tongue.

He knew that someone had pushed a hot drink into his hand during the first hour, although he’d only managed a sip or two before he’d abandoned it, and it was now stone cold and forgotten on the table beside him. Then someone else had patched up his shoulder, although he would probably need to see Angela when she was free.

When she was finished with Hanzo.

Hanzo, who shouldn’t have even been in the infirmary. Who wouldn’t have been in there if it wasn’t for him?

_This is my fault._

“Jesse…” He jolted at the quiet voice, startled to realise that he wasn’t alone, and he felt the colour drain from his face as he realised that Genji was sat in the chair facing him, mask off, giving him a clear view of the worried expression, he was wearing.

“Genji, I…” He couldn’t force the apology out, choking on it, dropping his gaze and staring at his hands, realising for the first time just how badly they were shaking. Taking a shuddering breath, he curled them into fists, nails digging into his palm as he tried to get them to still. _I need to apologise to Hanzo first._

“For what?” McCree hadn’t realised that he’d spoken aloud, until Genji reached over and pressed a hand to his knee, quietly forcing him to look up. “Jesse, what happened?”

“I…”

_ McCree ducked around a corner, turning to shoot the Talon agent that had been right on his heels, only to blink as the man went down with an arrow protruding from his chest. Whistling, McCree took down the agent behind him before retreating back into shelter as he reloaded, lifting his head to search for Hanzo, unable to spot the sniper from his current position. Instead, he reached for his communicator, even as he kept a wary ear out for anyone approaching his position, although he knew Hanzo would warn him if anyone was close._

_“Nice shot, partner.”_

_**“You could have dealt with it,”** Hanzo replied after a moment, and McCree could just make out the sound of his bow being released. He snorted at the reply, wondering if Hanzo would ever get to the point where he could just take a compliment. Probably he not, he thought with a sigh, eyes narrowing as he heard Hanzo firing again._

_“Trouble?”_

_**“Nothing I can’t handle.”** It was impossible to tell if Hanzo was lying or not, as his tone rarely shifted, even when his position was in danger of being overrun and McCree hesitated, unsure of whether to take him at his word when the archer continued. **“However, I think the others could use some assistance.”** There were times, especially after the amount of time they had spent training and competing in the training range that it was hard to remember that they weren’t the only ones in the field._

_“I’m on it,” McCree replied, already moving, but not without a last glance back towards where he knew Hanzo had last been. “Take care of yourself.” As though he would do any differently, and those words were skating a little too close to the boundaries they had set up for being in the field together, and for a moment he thought that Hanzo wasn’t going to reply. But he had just slipped into the narrow alleyway between two storage crates when he caught the archer’s quiet reply._

_ ** “You too.” ** _

_**_

_ The others had indeed needed assistance. Angela crouched behind the shattered remains of a storage crate as she patched up a battered-looking Winston, while Lena darted around them, providing cover and distracting attention away from them. The payload was parked behind them, showing more than a little damage, and McCree winced, knowing that they didn’t want to be in the area if it exploded. Then he was moving out into the opening, his flashbang stopping an agent who had managed to predict where Lena was going to reappear, and he left her to finish him, as he whirled and emptied his magazine into two agents who had been trying to get around behind Angela. “I thought this was supposed to be poorly guarded?” He griped, trading places with Lena as he reloaded, and took down another two agents, before downing a third with a flashbang and a punch across the face._

_ There was a brief lull, but they could hear more feet pounding towards them and he turned to look at Winston who was rising to his feet, still covered in cuts and bruises, but mobile. “What are we doing? Because right now, I got to say I don’t like our chances, and….”_

_**“Reinforcements are being dropped near the entrance.”** Hanzo’s voice crackled to life in their ears, and McCree tensed as it was followed by a grunt of pain from the archer, followed by the sounds of a struggle._

_“Hanzo.”_

_**“I suggest we retreat,” **Hanzo replied after a moment, sounding slightly out of breath and McCree growled under his breath, turning to look at Winston. It had been the first mission in months that had felt like it was going well, and he had even avoided saying as much, not wanting to give his partner another chance to tell him off for jinxing them after the memorable incident in Dorado a couple of months ago._

_“Lena, can you blow it?” Winston asked._

_“I can, but it’s going to be messy,” she called back, already at the payload and peering under the hood, and her next words were muffled. “You probably want to get moving now.”_

_“But…”_

_“I’ll get out in in a flash,” she pulled back enough to wink at him, and not for the first time McCree envied her ability to remain seemingly untouched by everything that was happening. Although they all knew that she had her darker moments. “Now get moving.” She didn’t look to see if they were obeying, already tinkering away._

_“We’re retreating Hanzo, get to the Dropship,” McCree barked into the communicator, moving to follow Winston and Angela who were already slipping away, frowning when there was no immediate acknowledgement. “Hanzo?”_

_**“Understood, I’ll see you there.”** There was a strained note to his partner’s voice, but before he could query the line cut off, and despite his best attempts McCree couldn’t get through to him. He was about to break off and try to track him down when the three of them rounded a corner and found themselves face to face with a dozen Talon agents._

_ There was a split second, both sides caught by surprise, and then gunfire erupted. McCree lunged forward, knocking Angela aside and cursing as pain blossomed in his shoulder, but he didn’t falter, returning fire, even as he shouted at her to take cover. Winston roared, and sprang over their heads, moving to pin the Talon agents between them, lightning crackling as Angela switched to supporting him, although McCree could feel her worried eyes on him as he felt the blood soaking into his clothes._

_ It was more luck than anything that saw them gain the upper hand and finish the fight, but there was more noise in the distant, and McCree waved Angela away when she tried to patch him up. “We got lucky this time, let’s not test that,” he muttered, trying to reach Hanzo again, but only receiving radio silence. “We need to get to that Dropship now.” And pray that he’s already there. Angela was frowning, but she didn’t argue, her pistol in hand as they kept moving as quickly and stealthily as they could._

_ They managed to skirt the next few groups of Talon agents, freezing in place, and then finding a slightly different path, speeding up as Lena informed them that they had sixty seconds even as she darted after them. There was still no word from Hanzo, but they were close to the Dropship now, and McCree was reassuring himself that it could just be a broken communicator, or Talon interference. And there it was, he could just make out the plane as they turned a corner, and came to an abrupt halt, taking in the Talon agents grouped between them and freedom, several of them moving towards it with the clear intention of damaging if not destroying it, and he heard Angela curse beside him._

_“Cover me,” he barked, dropping back and focusing. Deadeye dyeing his vision crimson as his eyes began to burn, and he was barely aware of the sound of Angela firing, and Winston’s shield buzzing to life around them._

_There were too many of them._

_ Ana had been the one to warn him of the risks of overextending this ability, and he had felt the side-effects more as he grew older, but he didn’t have much choice, especially as there was a muffled boom in the distance, and he caught the distinctive sound of Lena flashing into existence behind them. One red skull. Two. Three…. More and more filled his vision, until that was all he could see, and his eyes felt as though they were on fire, and he tightened his grip, holding on for just a little longer, trying to take out as many as he could._

_Then he fired._

_ Each shot was perfectly on target, the red skulls flickering out of existence one by one, and it was when they were down to four that he realised that two of them were in the wrong position. One almost blocking the other and he blinked, normal vision beginning to return, although the world was still painted red, and his heart twisted in his chest._

_No._

_ Hanzo was struggling, fighting against the hold the Talon agent had on him and it was just enough. Just enough. His head moving out of the path of the bullet, as he flung himself upwards and to the side, jerking as the shot took him in the chest instead, both he and the agent who hadn’t been able to shield himself as intended collapsing in a heap._

_“HANZO!” The world was still red, and he was dizzy from the effort, but McCree bolted forwards on unsteady legs. No. It wasn’t the first time he’d been involved in friendly fire, but it was the first time with Deadeye, and the guilt was welling. Why hadn’t he recognised Hanzo? Why had he tried to do it all himself? Ana had warned him, and guilt pooled in his stomach as he realised it was because he had ignored that warning, pushing too far, that he hadn’t been able to tell the difference between friend and foe._

_That he could have hurt more people._

_That he had hurt Hanzo…_

“…. he was so still when I got to him, I thought…” McCree was trembling again, unable to hide it, meeting Genji’s gaze with difficulty. His vision was still red around the edges, and he was terrified of seeing another skull over a friend’s face, but none appeared and Genji…Genji had closed his eyes, and McCree tensed, bracing himself for the angry words to follow.

“He’s going to be fine.” He blinked, the quiet reassurance the last thing he could have ever expected and Genji was looking at him, a terse smile playing on his lips. “Angela is with him, and he’s too stubborn to die, especially as this would mean losing to you.” It hadn’t been intended to hurt, but McCree flinched, knowing that this went beyond the competitions that had broken the ice between them and lead them to where they were now. Yet, there was forgiveness in those words. Absolution that he didn’t deserve, and couldn’t accept, at least not from Genji and not until he knew for sure that Hanzo was going to be okay, and he turned his gaze back to the infirmary doors.

“I hope you’re right…”

_Because I don’t know what I will do if you’re not._


End file.
